Ear muff

Abstract

The ear muff according to the present invention is a water-repellent material lined with thin insulation sewn into the form of a pocket which fits around the ear of the wearer to protect the ear against cold, wind, snow, or the like without substantially impairing hearing. The ear muff is kept engaged to the ear by means of an elastic loop residing in the hem of the opening of the pocket which contracts around the base of the ear, and in addition, adjacent to the elastic within the hem, a malleable earlobe clasp which the wearer clamps around the earlobe, so that the ear muff can be used by people with attached earlobes as well as by people with unattached earlobes. The lined water-repellent material comprising the pocket plays no part in keeping the ear muff engaged to the ear, and thus is made of flexible material so that it can conform to various shapes of ears.

The inventor claims: 
     
       1. An earheld ear muff which is constructed of a flexible sound-admitting water-repellent outer shell and a thin insulating inner lining sewn together in the form of a pocket with a hemmed opening on one side, which receives the ear of the wearer within the pocket so that the opening of the pocket is engaged to the base of the ear, which contains within a hem of the opening an endless loop of elastic so that the opening contracts to the base of the ear, which also contains within the hem of the opening an earlobe clasp that is used to clamp the opening about the earlobe of the wearer and to press the opening against the head of the wearer directly in front of the ear to keep the ear muff securely engaged to the ear of the wearer regardless of whether the wearer has attached earlobes or unattached earlobes, the hem including a lower section corresponding to the bottom of the wearer's ear and a forward section corresponding to the front of the wearer's ear, said earlobe clasp extending through said lower and forward sections of the hem, said ear muff being engaged to the ear by means of the elastic and earlobe clasp, so that the pocket itself, made of the flexible outer shell and inner lining, can conform to the shape of virtually any ear.